For some time, open surgery has been used to access a body cavity of a patient to examine or treat various diseases or injuries. Open surgery typically involves forming a transabdominal incision through the abdomen wall. This incision provides a physician with direct access to the peritoneal cavity and its organs. As generally illustrated in FIG. 1, the peritoneum 1 includes a main cavity or greater sac 2, which contains the small intestine 6, transverse colon 7, stomach 8, liver 9, bare area of liver 10, pancreas 11, duodenum 12, aorta 13, and mesentery 14.
An alternative and somewhat less traumatic surgical technique used to access an internal cavity of a patient involves laparoscopy. During laparoscopy, a laparoscope and other surgical instruments are inserted through one or more small incisions of the anterior abdominal wall, e.g., a transumbilical incision. Patients undergoing laparoscopy generally have shorter recovery times and less incision pain than those using traditional open surgery.
However, open and laparascopic surgery have numerous drawbacks. In the case of open surgery those drawbacks include relatively long and painful recovery periods, a heightened risk of infection, and large, aesthetically undesirable scars. In the case of laparascopic procedures, there are other drawbacks. For example, laparascopic techniques may be unsuitable for some patients, including pregnant women, and those with previous abdominal surgery. And, although not as severe as in open surgery, patients are left with aesthetically undesirable scars where incisions are made to access the abdomen.